Lord, what fools these actors be...

What I'm listening to right now: "Sweet and Lovely" (Bing Crosby)

So last night, I was invited to a reading of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." I got to read Helena, which was a happy surprise--I was all set to read Snout and call it a night.

The concept was great--gather a bunch of actors together in the gazebo at Van Vorst Park, nosh on strawberries and chocolate, and just read Shakespeare aloud for the fun of it. Yet every time we took a break to stretch our legs, I was reminded of how frighteningly neurotic actors can be.

There was no conversation to speak of. Rather, everyone just kind of talked AT each other. Loudly. And nothing of substance, really--just lots of quoting movies and fake British accents and quasi-naughty double entendres.

Immediately I was transported back to the Bluett Theatre at St. Joe's (my alma mater), where drama geeks ran rampant under the tutelage of the late Dr. Olley. Tears, lust, jealousy, backstabbing, and diva fits abounded. Once, this guy playing Jud in "Oklahoma" threw a spoon offstage because the chorus members were breaking his concentration.

I am NOT excusing myself from the equation. I certainly did my share of diva damage--storming off many a set strike because the tech director demanded that I actually pick up a power tool, when all I wanted to do was sweep sawdust half-heartedly and flirt with the lone straight boy in the cast.

This is why I love the Attic Ensemble, a little gem of a theater company nestled in the heart of Jersey City. They are good peeps. Most of them have day jobs, and real lives, and just have a passion to create good theater. One night, I got to the theater early (we were doing "The Exonerated", see above), and ran into Mark--lawyer by day, set designer/actor by night, husband/father all the time. He was still dressed in his suit for work, and was just wandering around the theater, alone, with a little grin on his face. When I came in, I said, "Wow, you're early!" To which he quietly replied, "Oh you bet. This is my therapy."

My free time is scarce during the school year, so my theatrical exploits are usually limited to one or two a year (with the occasional staged reading thrown in here and there). But there is nothing better, after teaching all day, to just sit on a stage and have someone boss me around for an hour or two.